Taylor Knight Appointed to WGU Missouri Advisory Board

KANSAS CITY – WGU Missouri is pleased to announce that Dr. Leigh Anne Taylor Knight, of Lenexa, Kan., has been appointed to the WGU Missouri Advisory Board. As a private, nonprofit institution established by the state of Missouri, WGU Missouri works in partnership with its parent institution, Western Governors University, and under the guidance of the state advisory board. The Advisory Board is comprised of individuals who work or reside in Missouri and provide counsel on the most effective ways the university can meet the core mission of economic development in the state.

Knight is executive director and chief operating officer of the DeBruce Foundation, in Kansas City, Mo., where she leads the foundation’s mission of developing initiatives and technologies to improve workforce readiness in the Kansas City area. The foundation builds upon workforce economics and development research to raise the success of individuals while increasing employers’ opportunities for finding and retaining a highly productive, stable and diverse workforce.

Before joining the DeBruce Foundation, Knight served as executive director at Kansas City Area Education Research Consortium for 5 years, leading collaborative efforts of research teams with local and state universities and public school districts, charter schools and private schools to advance P20 education in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Her background also includes serving in the K-12 education field for more than 10 years, rising to the level of Assistant Superintendent of North Kansas City Schools.

“We are honored to have Leigh Anne join the WGU Missouri Advisory Board,” said WGU Missouri Chancellor Dr. Angie Besendorfer. “Her K-12 education background, coupled with her foundation work and experience working in the space of innovation – all in the area of workforce and 21st century preparedness – will be beneficial as we continue to expand access to affordable, high-quality, higher education to adults across Missouri.”

Knight holds a Doctorate in Education from The University of Kansas; an Educational Specialist in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from University of Missouri-Kansas City; and a Master of Arts in Education, Bachelor of Science in Education and Bachelor of Science in Human Environmental Sciences from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

One online university. Four colleges. Flexible degrees.

Our focus on your success starts with our focus on four high-demand fields: K–12 teaching and education, nursing and healthcare, information technology, and business. Every degree program at WGU is tied to a high-growth, highly rewarding career path. Which college fits you?